Leatherman U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,272, issued May 17, 1988, discloses a "Foldable Tool" including pliers jaws having respective tangs or butt portions remote from the cooperating work or grasping end portions of the jaws. The butt portions are pivoted to channel-shaped handles. The pivots for the jaws and handles are parallel. The handles are swingable relative to the jaws for compact nesting of the jaws within the handles. Pocket knife implements can be separately pivoted to the channel-shaped handles.
Other types of compound tools having cooperating jaws swingable relative to handles are disclosed in German Patentschrift 30788, published Aug. 14, 1984, and in the following U.S. patents: Mcloos, U.S. Pat. No. 649,344, issued May 8, 1900; Di Maio, U.S. Pat. No. 1,524,694, issued Feb. 3, 1925; Leatherman patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,862, issued Dec. 16, 1980; Leatherman patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,869, issued Dec. 26, 1989; and Collins et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,173, issued Nov. 5, 1991.
Yet another compound tool having cooperating pliers jaws swingable relative to handles is disclosed in my U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/891,990, filed May 27, 1992, and issued on Dec. 7, 1993 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,366.
In the tools of most of the patents referred to above, the handles of the tools normally form extensions of the butt portions of the jaws, and the handles usually are longer than the grasping or working end portions of the jaws. In order to achieve a mechanical advantage, the handles must be grasped at their end portions remote from the jaws. Nevertheless, such tools often are formed with handles shorter than the handles of standard tools, for compactness when the jaws are swung or otherwise retracted into the handles. Therefore, the mechanical advantage that can be achieved is limited. Such tools also may have narrow side edges that are difficult or uncomfortable to grasp, and/or swinging implements that do not securely lock in place or are difficult to release, or lack implements for special tasks.